"For all they who take the sword shall die by the sword." Assistant Clayton County prosecutor Brandon Hornsby quoted Matthew 26:52 in a case where a man was found guilty of literally killing his victim by the sword. He also appealed to the book of Romans and other biblical references to boost his case "that society must deter criminals" with the death penalty. The Supreme Court of Georgia voted 6-1 to uphold the murder conviction, but not the death penalty. "Biblical references inject the often irrelevant and inflammatory issue of religion into the sentencing process and improperly appeal to the religious beliefs of jurors in their decision on whether a person should live or die," Justice Norman S. Fletcher wrote for the majority. A
summary of the court's opinion is available at the court's Web site.
On Tuesday, Indiana Governor Frank O'Bannon signed legislation allowing government institutions, including schools, to post the 10 Commandments if they are displayed "with other historical documents." The Indiana Civil Liberties Union is ready to sue at the first posting.
In a few months, all 2 million of Florida's public school students would have been eligible for private school vouchers (see our July 12, 1999 story on the
Florida vouchers). Circuit Judge L. Ralph Smith Jr.'s ruling is the latest in a series of ups and downs for vouchers (see related stories by the
Associated Press and
USA Today).
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